A/N: As always, thanks to everyone that is reading, alerting, favoriting and reviewing! It's nice to know there are so many people out there that love 1930s Hollywood as much as I do!

Thanks to my beta chisaii-kitty for turning this around so quickly…I thought you all might be interested in finding out what kind of trouble Jason has gotten himself into…

There was a man in a hat waiting for them just inside. Sookie briefly thought about commenting that it was rude to wear a hat indoors, but he didn't seem like the kind of man who cared. Eric nodded to the man who began walking without saying a word to Sookie or Eric. They walked past the elegantly dressed casino goers to a back office.

In the office, sat Jason, a woman, whom Sookie assumed to be Crystal and a man behind a large desk. Jason looked scared. Crystal looked bored. The man looked irritated.

The man watched Sookie and Eric enter the room. He stayed firmly seated in his seat as they walked across the room and Eric pulled out a chair for Sookie to sit in.

The Eric sat himself in the chair next to her and said, "How are you, Cal?"

The man did not smile. He leaned forward and replied, "Well, Eric. I'll tell you. I'm not that good."

Eric inclined his head, "I'm sorry to hear that. Is there anything I can do?"

Cal glared at Eric, "Frankly, Eric, I don't even know what the fuck you're doing here."

Eric clucked his tongue. "Language, Cal. There are ladies present."

Cal's glare increased, "Cut the smooth Hollywood bullshit, asshole. I don't see any ladies. I see my whore of a daughter. And the sister of the son of a bitch who knocked her up."

Sookie's head swung toward her brother and she hissed, "Jason!"

Jason shrugged and sunk a little lower in his chair.

Eric's leaned over the desk and his voice became very quiet. "I said watch your language. Why is Miss Stanton here?"

Cal sputtered with indignation. Sookie was looking carefully at Eric. She noticed that he didn't seem to care much that Jason was in trouble or that he had gotten a girl pregnant only how it involved Sookie. "I want some assurances," Cal growled out and pounded his fist on the desk for emphasis.

Eric nodded as if that made perfect sense and sat back down. "What kind of assurances?"

And they were down to business because that's what this was really about. Eric knew well that Cal didn't really give a flying fuck if his daughter was pregnant or not. He didn't want to be shamed. He wanted to make certain he came out on top despite the circumstances.

Cal indicated toward Jason with disgust. "Some B-list celebrity that likes to gamble. What kind of son-in-law is that? How's he going to help me? I'll need reparation for the loss and that one hasn't got the cash to pay, but his sister…"

"You want Miss Stanton to give you her mark for her brother's debt? I don't think so." Eric sounded bored and he was looking around the room as if he couldn't wait to leave. Sookie bit her tongue to keep from jumping in. It wasn't easy. She tried to catch Eric's eye several times and failed. He wouldn't meet her eyes.

"Why are you even here?" Cal asked eyes narrowed. "What's it to you?"

Eric shrugged, "Miss Stanton is my star. I can't have her tangled up in your arcane traditions and bullshit. I won't have it."

The silence beat between the two men as they looked at each other. Then Eric leaned forward, "You needed a son-in-law to work what? Or you just want to make certain he sticks with Crystal? What are we talking about here?"

Cal looked around at the other men in the room. "Get out." They left as silently as they had been standing there.

Sookie felt slightly better without them looming over her. She believed Eric could handle the situation with Cal.

"She was going to marry Felton. He's been handling the Chicago connections. I need someone I can trust dealing with those guys."

Eric nodded understandingly. "It's humiliating for Felton. Money isn't going to make up for that."

Cal nodded in agreement and rolled his eye heavenward and then looked at his daughter and shook his head in disgust.

"If you want to replace him or have someone that works with him, I can get you someone."

Cal raised an eyebrow, "Why would Ocella do that for me?"

Eric shrugged and didn't answer the question. Sookie wondered what the answer was but doubted she'd ever know.

Cal nodded once and looked at Sookie appraisingly. "That will make up for my loss. I still need assurances that Crystal will be taken care of. I know you Hollywood types. Your marriages barely last long enough for the ink to dry on the license. Divorced with a baby is no way for a woman to be."

Eric nodded sympathetically and was about to say something when Cal continued. "If she'll sign," he jerked his head toward Sookie. "That she'll buy her a house, take care of the baby –"

Eric's face became a mask of cold fury. He half-stood and slammed his hand on Cal's desk. "I told you. She's not fucking signing anything!" He shouted so loudly Sookie thought her ears would bleed. She glanced at Jason who was staring at Eric with wide fearful eyes.

Eric sat again. "I'll sign." His voice was calm. The terrifying individual from a moment before had vanished. He crossed his legs and smiled at Cal Norris.

Cal made a face. "You bangin' her?" He indicated to Sookie.

Eric's smile faded. "Don't be vulgar. And that's not your business."

Cal rolled his eyes and shook his head. "It's your money. I'll send you papers." He held out his hand.

Eric rose and shook it. "I'm not signing anything until they're married."

Cal nodded as if that made perfect sense. "Maybe two weeks from now. Or three. There are certain people that need to be invited, shotgun wedding or not. We'll be in touch."

Eric nodded and they shook again. He smiled at Sookie and glared at Jason in turn. "Let's go." Sookie all but ran from the room. Or she would have if Eric hadn't grabbed her arm and tucked her in firmly beside him sauntering out as if this was the most ordinary thing that had happened to him all day.

Exiting the casino felt like surfacing from dark waters that threatened to drown her, Sookie had never been so relieved to leave a building. She turned to Eric still giddy with fear. She took his breath away – cheeks flushed, lips slightly parted and red from her chewing at them, eyes bright. He wanted to see her looking that way again – but not from fear.

"Thank you." Her voice was breathy and soft. And again, he thought how much he wanted to hear that same voice in another context.

He nodded at her. "Your welcome. It…I was happy to help." He had been going to say it was nothing, but that was a lie. It had been something. It would likely cost him one way or another.

He looked at Jason and said to Sookie, "I need to speak to your brother. Would you wait in the car?"

And it was if she had crashed back down to earth. Eric could see in her eyes that he had just seriously tarnished his shining armor. He wanted to sigh. She planted her hands firmly on her hips and rapped out, "What is it that you have to say to my brother that you think I'm too delicate to hear?"

He looked at her debating whether to go ahead with his discussion with Jason or demand that she go sit in the car. He didn't see a positive outcome for himself no matter which path he chose. And Eric was a man that liked to find the upside…the upside for him.

Thankfully, Jason saved him from the lose-lose scenario by reminding Sookie that he was the one actually cast as the villain in this storyline. "Sook, this is man stuff. Just go wait in the car."

She rounded on her brother with a fury that made Eric Northman want to applaud. He could watch her for days, months, years. God, he wanted her. She had to be over that hick boyfriend she always talked about, right? She couldn't think that was going to work after her year here? And all the money she was making?

"Man stuff?" she croaked. And then gave an extremely ugly laugh. "Oh, so I guess the 'woman' part is over now that I'm not going to pay to clean up your mess? Now that I'm not needed to clear your debt, we wouldn't want to taint my innocence!" She gave them each a scalding look – not that Eric needed it, he was on fire anyway.

"I'll go wait in the car because I don't want to look at you, Jason Stackhouse."

She stomped off and Jason said under his breath, "I don't care why you go as long as you get. Nosy woman."

Eric looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Treat her with some respect. She came flying down here to save your ass. She's right. Rude, but right."

Jason looked as sullen as a scolded child. "What then?"

Eric gave him a hard look. "I'll give Crystal's father what he wants, but I better not ever have to pay it. You ditch that girl and you won't just be answering to old man Norris anymore."

Jason nodded. "You won't. And if you do, I'll pay you back. But it's not going to happen."

Eric snorted wanting to laugh at the idea that Jason might have thought that he wouldn't have to pay Eric back. "Every fucking penny."

And then there was the other part that he hadn't wanted to say in front of Sookie. "And if Ocella wants a favor in return. It's on you."

Jason was nodding but Eric wanted to make certain he understood. "This is your debt, not mine. I won't pay for it. No matter what Ocella wants as payment. It's not my debt."

Jason paled a little but didn't think Eric could tell in the moonlight. He wasn't exactly certain what Eric was telling him, but it didn't matter much he wasn't one to let his debts go unpaid. He could handle it. He'd done other things that his sister didn't need to know about in order to get money when their Gran was sick. He'd be fine.

He looked at Eric Northman staring at him intently and understanding began to dawn in Jason. "You're looking out for my sister, why?"

Eric's eyes cut to Sookie sitting in the car with an adorably irritated expression on her face. "Does it matter?"

Jason's eyes narrowed as he looked at the tall, beautiful man in front of him. "Despite what I done to Crystal, yeah it does. You got the right intentions and all that?"

Eric looked back at Jason and gave a solitary nod before walking toward his car.

"Yeah, I got my car. Don't worry about it," Jason muttered under his breath. But Eric Northman was obviously not worried about it.

The door opened and Eric lowered himself into the car and started the engine. Sookie looked over at him. "Jason has his car, I guess?"

Eric hadn't even given it a thought. He glanced in the rearview mirror to see Jason opening the door to a Chrysler and gave a little sigh of relief. "Of course," he smiled at Sookie. "I wouldn't leave him here without a ride."

Sookie glanced in the side mirror to check on her brother as well. "I can just ride back with him if you don't want to take me home."

He pulled out onto the main road. "It's no trouble really."

The drove on silence for awhile. Finally, he turned to her. "So, Sookie Stackhouse, what do you like to do for fun?"

She smiled at him and laughed. "Fun…I think I remember that from a really long time ago…"

He laughed. "I think maybe you should try to have some fun. It's been a difficult few weeks."

She snorted, "Which was at least partially your fault with that garbage in the night club."

He nodded in agreement and hoped that he at least looked contrite, he didn't really feel that way. "I know. Which is why I want to make up for it. Let me take you somewhere fun. We'll dress up. No one will recognize us."

He could feel her looking at him in the darkness. "I'd like that."

Eric smiled.

A/N: So they're going out…where do you think he'll take her?